Neighbors Again
by banana102283
Summary: Let's make this clear: Wysteria is STUPID. Yeah, and Headmaster Ambrose is stupid, Moolinda Wu and Professor Balestrom are stupid, Headmistress Crisp is stupid, Alex Ghostbane is stupid, forced school trips are stupid, freaking LIFE is stupid, Spring MistBreaker - don't even get me started on how much I hate her and her STUPID NEIGHBOR FACE- (Wait, me? No, I'm not stupid. Duh.)
1. Dad

**Wassup everyone! This is Luayn (banana102283) posting a new story in the dead of night to freak everyone out! So, be alarmed folks! Run around, and scream your head off! Hide in the closet! Sob into your pillow! That's totally awesome! And yes, to everyone asking, this _does_ mean I'll be coming over to your house-**

**...haha, not really. I'm just trying to freak everyone out with my twisted sense of humor. No, I'm just posting this thing I had before it disappears on me, and before I'm hit with truckloads of homework. I _might_ update this, but more so leaning on the side of probably not.**

**About the story: This deals with Wysteria's plotline, if you couldn't tell! Except I'm changing things, because I'm awesome, so if you think you know everything that'll happen, you're wrong! Go home! You're not the author here, I am! Hahahaha!**

**Lol, you guys can just ignore me. I'm cool with that too. As long as there are readers, I'm fine. (I'm so pathetic.)**

**(In retrospect, the summary looks like it has nothing to do with the drama below. But it does, I swear! Things just lighten up later.)**

**Happy reading!**

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_"Now, as those of you who have relatives in Wysteria may have heard, there's been a... slight issue involving rumors about a murder-"_

_Fear. That was the first thing that raced through his mind as he jumped up out of his seat, knocking his wooden chair back so that it skidded a little over, desk wobbling- "Huh?"_

_The whole class stared at him, and Professor Cyrus said with a mocking, narrow smile, "Yes, Mister Legend, a murder. Now, if you could maybe oblige me just this once, repress your obviously burning excitement and sit down back in your chair, you might be able to hear out the rest of what I was going to say."_

_A couple people laughed and Hunter, frowning, pulled his chair over and sat back down, trying to repress the bitter mix of fear and anger churning in his stomach. What had his dad said before he left? "This one's a far away job in Wysteria, so I might not be back until tomorrow afternoon-"_

_Wysteria. He had said Wysteria that day, right? Hunter's blood ran cold._

"_As I had been previously saying - pay close attention, Mister Legend - there's been rumors involving a murder in Wysteria. Apparently, these rumors have something to do with a large, vine beast and-" he gave a simpering smile, "-a corpse charred unrecognizable in Tanglewood Way."_

_If the memory of his father made Hunter's blood run cold, these next ones made made his veins freeze over, an unmistakable chill of panic running over his body. He paled. That- that couldn't-?_

_His dad had said he was going to be out fighting again, but that couldn't possibly be-?_

_Oblivious to Hunter's terror, Professor Cyrus continued, "As anyone with hardly any intelligence could figure out, these rumors are all false. Wysteria has already informed all of it's citizens that the charred remains in Tanglewood are only the remains of a wildfire spell on some dry branches, and that there is nothing to worry about. They've also contacted Ravenwood and told them to inform the students here in case any information leaked out - I suppose to keep what little pride they have as a safe community, hmph..."_

_Hunter had tuned out after "these rumors are all false". They were false, false, __false__. Of course they were false. Rumors are rumors, after all. _

_Hunter breathed out shakily. He should have known all along. Like Professor Cyrus had said, "anyone with hardly any intelligence could figure it out". Right? What had he been so worried about, anyway?_

"_Speaking of students with hardly any intelligence..." Professor Cyrus sneered at him from at the front of the room, and Hunter shook it off as the teacher decided to pick him out for not paying attention. _

_But that was two weeks ago, and yet, his dad..._

"You won't help an old man out, will ya, Huntsy-?" the guard said, swaying. "It's-" Suddenly unbalanced, he pinwheeled his arms and almost toppled over to the ground. Grunting, I caught him with my elbow and gently helped him collapse back against the purple wall. My foot hit an empty glass bottle and it clattered across the street into a nearby rotting fodder's foot.

I knew from experience that Gunt was a good guy, except when he was drunk. Which was most of the time. Sometimes, I wondered why he still even had his job. "Sorry old man, I'd do it but it's getting late and all, and it looks like it's about to rain. Keep your head!" I shouted, starting to walk away.

"Aw, no rain ever stopped your dad, last time I seen 'em!" he cried out from behind me.

I froze.

Gunt hiccuped behind me. "Ain't that right!" he shouted, swinging an enthusiastic arm. He probably thought mentioning my dad would surprise me. He had no idea how right he was. "I got a job for him, he goes out rain or shine, you hear?"

"What do you know about my dad?" I said quietly.

He continued on, as if he hadn't heard me. "I remember, I said to Keith las' time to 'elp me get somethin' from this tower, and you know, actually, he has the nerve to not show up after a week or two, taking his time I say-"

"What do you know about my dad?" I cried out, whirling around, clenched fists on either side of me.

"Woah there buddy, take it eaaaasy," he mockingly laughed. I grit my teeth. Gunt was obviously way more out of it than usual. "All grins, that man, wen' I sent that slacker off to help me get somethin' I had heard of before - make me a profit you knows-"

I couldn't stop myself. I shoved him against the wall with my shoulder without even thinking twice, fury boiling up to its limit. "I don't think you understand," I snarled at him, fist full of shirt. "Let me repeat my earlier question: what do you know about my father, Gunt?"

His wand slipped out of his hands and clattered onto the dark purple stone below. Gunt swallowed nervously. "...Come on, Huntsy-"

"Hunter." The one word came out as a low growl.

"-it's not a real big deal, ain't it, I mean, we're friends, right?" The last part came out as a whimper.

I didn't reply for a while, mind working overtime, gears whirling. Then, I said slowly, "Yeah, you're right."

I stepped back and Gunt immediately jerked for his wand, holding it out with trembling hands. "Sorry, Gunt, I just..." I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. "...I went overboard. Sorry."

Gunt looked at me suspiciously. "Y- yeah, sure. I-" He stopped and looked up. I felt something patter on my shoulders and looked up too to see rain falling from the dark mass of clouds above us. "Well, if it isn't rainin'? Ya better leave, Hunts, before ya end up soakin' like a sponge, eh?"

He seemed keen to send me off, even if he was being a hypocrite. I couldn't blame him. "Alright. See ya." I backed up and turned around, and then, not wanting to see his expression, started into a sprint across the bridge past the waterfalls towards the mill.

_You idiot! _That was what ran through my head the whole run back towards the Bazzar. _You almost lost it there! And then what would the whole point of keeping it a secret be, when Gunt leaks it out to all of Triton Avenue?_

I wanted to punch myself. If he was here, Dad would have convinced him to tell. He was drunk. It wouldn't have been so hard. Gunt was always drunk - at least, during all the times I had met him with Dad. And it wasn't like he was friends with so many people._ You could've gotten so many opportunities,_ I scolded myself, _but now Gunt is always going to watch out for you. Why did you lose it there, Hunter? Dad would've-_

If Dad was here. But he wasn't.

And then, I stopped. _Why did you think about Dad like he was already gone? _

Along the deserted sidewalk, where no one but monsters could look with prying eyes, I swore and kicked the nearby wall. The pain in my foot didn't numb the dark feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. _He wasn't dead! _I started to sprint again, not knowing where I was headed anymore, ignoring the soak of rain on my cloak and the throbbing in my foot. _He wasn't dead and you know it!_

My dad, Keith Legend, was a freelancer. He went around solo, being hired for quests - quests that could be considered a bit shady to others - to get money, instead of having an official wizard job under the Headmaster, with its low wages for newcomers. Some people looked down at him for that. I didn't. I defended him mercilessly; after all, just because it wasn't "official", just because it wasn't suspicion-free, and part of a more dark section of Wizard City, with secret meetings and dealings and trades and- and thieves, that didn't make _him_ a thief! He just needed money. That didn't make him bad person for what his job was, right?

Or at least, that's what I said. Surprisingly enough, Dad disagreed. After a heated argument with a jerk in the Commons about my dad and how "untrustworthy" he was (that eventually led up to blows, and the teachers restraining us), Dad sat down with me and told me that when I grew up, I should get a real job. Work under Headmaster Ambrose - become a guard, or a crafter, or an explorer, and explore the world! _You have so much potential Hunter,_ he had said, _I can tell. Don't waste your life away like me on a, _he had forced out a harsh laugh, _stupid job like this. _

I was only nine when he told me that, four years ago. But in truth, I secretly wanted to be just like him when I grew up. No, I still wanted to be like him when I grew up.

Dad had told me that my mother had passed away when I was born (apparently, she was already really weak before that, and always got sick). He wouldn't say anything else, no matter how curious I was, or how much I pestered him that day. But I shrugged it off and forgot about it. It didn't hit me as important - all that really meant to me was that "Mom" was never there to teach me anything. So instead of a mom, Dad had taught me everything I knew before I went into Ravenwood - how to wield a sword with one hand and two, how to use shields for more than just shielding, how to summon creatures a year before they actually taught us, how to do basically _everything_ that was in the Storm school. Since our secondary schools were different - his was Life and mine was Death, to which he had grimaced at bit - he couldn't help me out there, but people always said that I was a natural at Storm. I didn't deny nor agree to this. Professor Halestrom said it was genes, which it technically was. Dad had taught me everything. He was who I had looked up to, when there was no one else around for me.

Dad was my hero.

Dad always went out in the morning, then would come back late at night while I was asleep. I would always see him next morning, making coffee, sunshine filtering in through the window. I'd slump at the kitchen table, he'd grin and take a jab at me, and the whole morning would turn into complaints and moans and jokes and laughs before school. And on the weekends, pancakes, as long as he was there. I only stayed at home instead of living in the dorms like most people did for that purpose - the pancakes were the bonus - since I wasn't the type to make friends or socialize anyway. Dad didn't exactly complain... but he didn't seemed pleased by the decision either, so I went circles around that topic. Luckily, I managed only to brush it only slightly before luck swooped in and saved me, usually in the form of an "accidental" clatter of dishes, or "forgetting" that I had something to do. (I wasn't willing to move into a dorm by myself so easily.)

Recently, he looked more tired than ever, dropping a cup here, forgetting to close the door there. One time, he left his wand in the fridge and his packed lunch in the bathroom sink, and I had to chase him down for a while before I could give both of them to him. I assumed that he was only hired for a longer quest in a dungeon or something. Nothing my Dad couldn't handle, of course.

I never thought that he wouldn't come back. After all, I was here, right?

I should've told him to take a break, because two months ago he wasn't there when I woke up.

I wasn't as nervous at first, until I telepathed with him only to have him not answer. He didn't come back after school, either. I waited until the next day, trying not to worry about it, except he still didn't return. There was something blocking his teleportation too, so I couldn't teleport to where ever he was no matter how desperately I tried. There were no signs he had been ever been home since he disappeared - the coffee I had made for him sitting cold on the lonely countertop.

The rest of the week passed by like that. I didn't tell anyone, not even my close friend Alex. Without parent supervision, they would kick me out of Ravenwood, I was sure. Dad would've wanted me to stay, so I was planning on staying. I only had to live by myself until he came back.

He wasn't dead. Of course not. I refused to believe it.

...Even if it had been a month since he disappeared.

Panting, I trudged through ankle-deep water and stopped underneath a nearby tree in Olde Town at the base of the hill. As the tree's leaves whipped above me, branches flailing in the harsh wind, I looked around. It was deserted, rain going at full torrent now underneath the dark sky. As always when it rained in Olde Town, water tumbled down the paved hill, over pieces of clay and the occasional tile jutting out, that pooled at the end of the street where I had walked a minute ago. Obviously, no one had wanted to be stuck miserable and soaking wet in the weather. Like I was. Standing underneath the tree, I could feel my cloak glued to my sides, my hair dripping water onto my shoulders. I tried to wipe off my forehead, rain mixed with sweat, only to realize that my sleeve was completely wet anyways. The water sloshed in my boots, seeping through my socks and between my toes. Most of the time, I didn't mind water, but this- this was-

Unbidden, a memory slipped into my head out of nowhere. _"Don't be such a wimp, Hunter," my dad laughed, hanging up my cloak to dry on a clothesline. "How'd this even happen?"_

"_I told you already Dad," I cried, only nine, wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt as I sat out in our backyard, "our stupid neighbor, she pushed me into the pond! That's what I've been saying the whole time! It's not my fault, but you don't even listen!" I kicked dust into the air as Dad frowned._

"_I never said it was your fault, but you don't even listen," he huffed in an obvious imitation of me. I looked up startled, and Dad stared defiantly back before cracking and giving me a grin._

"_Besides, a little water never hurt anyone," he nudged me, "right?"_

And then, frustration boiled up inside of me out of nowhere. I rammed a fist into the bark of the tree. It felt numb. "Dad, why'd you leave me _alone?"_

I rammed the tree a second time with my other hand. "Why'd you go off on a quest if you're not going to come back?" Another punch.

"You're supposed to be there!" Punch.

"You're always there!" Punch. Blood started to trickle down my fists, but I couldn't feel it.

"This _isn't fair!"_ Punch.

"It's, it's...!" Punch. My left hook barely touched the bark of the tree. "It isn't...!" Punch. I swung wildly, not even hitting the tree anymore.

Finally, I weakly hit my head against the bark of the tree._"I can't take this anymore!"_

I hadn't even realized I was crying. Legs feeling like jelly, I sunk onto my knees, wiping my eyes with my hand.

He was gone, wasn't he? What was the point of _any_ of this, if he wasn't going to come back?

Even I knew that none of what I said was true, let alone the fact that I had no idea of half of the stuff I blurted out at random then. Maybe it was easier, blaming it on him, then blaming myself for not trying harder. For not realizing something was off, that something was _wrong,_ those first days. Maybe if I had tried looking for him sooner, I would have been able to catch him before he disappeared for good - or sat down and told him to take a break so that it never even happened. Maybe if I hadn't "of course, he'd come back" this, "of course, he could handle it by himself" that - I swore. Of course, _nothing. _I felt sick.I couldn't believe how many things I took for granted from him then, how much I had dragged him down and not even realized it. I had expected to be a happy, sunshine-and-rainbows kind of family forever, where he'd always be there in the kitchen cooking pancakes and I'd always be laughing with him, before reality kicked in and took the only thing I cared about in life in a blink of an eye. Dad, Dad, _Dad._

I was absolutely disgusted with myself. If I wasn't there living with him, he wouldn't have had to work as hard - so why didn't I do anything about it? How long, how long was I planning on living all carefree and happy, how long was I going to dump all the work on him, pretend he wasn't struggling, and not expect him to disappear on me the next day? How long did I manage to turn a blind eye to _this? It was all my fault, wasn't it?_

I knelt sheltered underneath the dark foliage of the tree, barely feeling the sharp, cold hiss of wind, or the patter of rain against my back, or the sharp sting of my knuckles. After what could've been five minutes or five hours, there was the sound of footsteps crunching grass. I didn't look up. "Hunter, why are you out here in this weather?"

I didn't respond. Something soft grabbed my hands and held them out. "You're bleeding, dear child!" A wave of a wand, and the cuts melted back into skin. I hardly felt anything though. "Hunter- Hunter, dear, how did this happen?"

I wanted to curl up into a ball outside, not smothered in love and kisses next to a warm fire. Looking up into Moolinda Wu's eyes, I tried for a grin. "No, I'm alright, see?" That seemed to upset her even more, so I desperately searched my mind for an excuse. "I, uh, just... I was waiting for someone, but I guess they never showed up..." _Leave me alone!_

"You're shaking, dear." She didn't seem to be convinced.

I lifted a hand in front of my face, and noticed that yes, it was shaking. "Oh, I didn't notice... Ha, ha!" My voice seemed to be trembling, and I didn't know why. "Oh, that's strange-"

"Hunter." And this time it wasn't worry or fear, it was hard steel in her voice. "Hunter, you're coming with me, child." She picked up one of my hands in her hoof gingerly.

"No!" Flinching at my mistake, I said, "I mean, no, you don't have to, I know I'm probably wasting your time now, so I'll just go back home," I was just rambling on now, "and you can relax on your weekend-"

"Dear child, I-" I couldn't do this. I couldn't take another "dear child" even if it killed me. Finally snapping, I immediately I jerked my hand out of her grasp and tried to get up, but my legs were numb. As I scrambled forward on all fours, she cried out, "Hunter!" and grabbed my cloak, holding me back.

I wrestled with her to let me go. Turning around with panicked eyes, I shouted desperately, "Professor Wu, leave me alone!"

As she froze from my outburst, I violently lunged forward, needing to get away - somewhere, anywhere, as long as it wasn't here. Somewhere _else. _The cloak's clasp dug painfully into my throat, except by now I didn't care anymore-

-but Moolinda Wu was restraining me back by the shoulders, hooves digging frantically against the muddy ground. My effort was slowly dissipating away, being replaced with an empty feeling I couldn''t recognize. "I don't want to hurt you, child! Stop! _Hunter!"_

At last I turned around, meeting her steel glint with lifeless eyes. I had known though, in the back of my head, that she wouldn't have let it go - Moolinda Wu was too soft for that. I wished that Professor Cyrus would've found me instead. "As one of your Professors, you are to come with me to my residence," she said coldly. "Understood?"

"I want to be alone! By _myself!"_ Then, I added in a quiet voice, "Is that so much to ask for?"

She visibly deflated. "...I have a feeling you're going to do more than just be alone, dear," she said softly, rain pattering down on her shoulders. Her green umbrella lay on the ground, speckled in mud. I refused to acknowledge her, sitting in stony silence.

Moolinda Wu looked up. "We'll teleport now, alright?" I nodded rigidly, looking away. "Good."

Grabbing my arm, we both teleported in a storm of windy leaves.


	2. Moolinda Wu

**(This used to be a single chapter with the first, but I split it into two. Ha! Like I'd update this fast! I'm seriously way too lazy for that.)**

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I robotically, without even thinking about it, raised my hands over the fire, warming them up. I was dry thanks to a towel from Moolinda Wu, and - at her goading - had changed into a spare T-shirt and pants I had found in my bag. I had no idea where her house even was - but really, I didn't care, as I was taken to staring down at the floor every time I walked past a window. As far as I could tell the furniture inside was simple, with only one or two things that seemed like they belonged in MooShu. Sitting at the edge of the most uncomfortable chair I could find, having rigidly dragged it over to the fireplace ten minutes earlier, my whole mind was numb, and even after getting out of the cold my legs and arms lacked any feeling either.

Deep down, I didn't want to think about anything at all, because I was afraid that I would break down into pieces if I did.

The sound of a chair scratching against wooden floor. Moolinda Wu eased down into a chair next to me, staring at the fire like I was. After a while of this, she said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I didn't respond. If she was upset by this, she didn't show any sign of it. "You'd think that a Life Professor wouldn't enjoy seeing wood go up in flames." Moolinda Wu shook her head. "The circle of energy - showing how inward life can blossom outward and spark into something new, everyday. But of course, you already know that from Professor Balestrom, young one."

She leaned forward on her chair, making it creak at its joints. "Growing up in MooShu," she said, wearing a sad, twisted smile, "I had never seen fire. We lived in small straw huts along the main road, trying to survive against the creatures living on the road. We didn't have time to discover fire, and it would burn up our huts anyway." She paused. "I was the youngest of three in my family, only seven. My oldest brother was forced to join the emperor's samurai army at his age, and my parents were dead, so it was only me and my older sister Yui defending ourselves. We assured Ryuji it was fine, we could take care of ourselves..."

She stared with a blank look into the fire. "...If we were lying through our teeth, it didn't matter, because it meant he would not put up much of a fight with the soldiers."

I stayed silent for a long time. Finally, I muttered, "Why are you telling me this?" I didn't want to hear her sad life story about her family during the civil war in MooShu. If anything, it reminded me of the family I didn't have, which I was keen on not thinking about at the moment.

"...Hunter, child, if you want to tell me anything, I am here."

It was plain by her tone and the motherly look on her face that she was really worried, and in all honesty, I was touched that she was trying so hard. But if she really thought that sappy, sad stories worked like a trade, then she had another thing coming. I didn't deserve that worry anyway. "...Thanks, but no thanks," I said coldly. Finally finding the strength to move, I stood up, still looking into the fire. "May I please leave now, Mooli- Professor Wu?"

"...Do you have a guardian you're staying with currently, Hunter? I'm aware you don't have a dorm registered for yourself in the Boy's Dormitory."

I didn't move. _She couldn't possibly..._"I do, my dad. Keith Legend." The name felt foreign in my mouth now, an empty pang in my chest.

"Hunter," her serious tone alarmed me and I turned to see her eyes like steel once more, "I think we both know very well that he isn't here right now."

It was like she had slapped me in the face. After a tense moment of silence, fire crackling between us, I turned away and said quietly, "...No, I don't. Have a guardian."

"...You are aware that without a legal parent guardian, Ravenwood Academy is forced to unregister you?"

"I know."

"Do you have any relatives? Sisters, brothers, a mother? Aunts or uncles, perhaps-?"

"I'm an only child. My mother died a long time ago. I never met my mother's side of the family, or I don't remember them. My dad was an only child, and his mum and dad passed away a while ago."

An awkward silence. "...Do you know any friend's parents, or neighbors, willing to take care of you?"

"No."

"Do you have-?"

"Moolin- I mean-"

"Moolinda Wu is fine."

"...Moolinda Wu, please, just stop. I know that you're trying hard to keep me in the school, and I'm flattered, I know that Ravenwood is a nice place, I just-" I ran a hand through my half wet, half dry hair, agitated. "I don't care if I'm in Ravenwood or not. I'm fine without it. Really."

I made a move to leave towards the door of the room, and she grabbed me by the wrist. _Not this again-_

"This isn't a matter of Ravenwood or not. Though that is important, I am worried for your wellbeing."

"Well, I'm not!" I snapped, jerking my hand out of hers and stepping away before she could grab anything else to stop me like before. Besides, the outburst seemed to surprise her, her black and white speckled arm still outstretched and hesitating in the air, so I kept going. "It's not as if I'll die out there - I'm already thirteen, a teenager, I'm old enough to take care of myself from now on, so please-!" _And if I did die, it's not like it would matter to me or anyone else anyways,_I added silently.

"Just because you are, child, does not mean you should-"

"Just because I haven't taken any responsibility in the past couple of years, just because I want to do something on my own for once, just because relying on _myself_ and working _at least as hard_ as Dad did would have stopped-!" I clamped my mouth shut before I could say anything more. Not for the second time that day, I felt like punching myself.

Expecting her to show pity on me, pity I didn't even want to see, I was surprised as Moolinda Wu's arm retracted slowly back, and trembled as she looked down. I wasn't able to see her expression as she looked into her hooves, folded in her lap, and said softly, "That... reminds me so much of what I thought that day, Hunter-kun."

I hadn't been expecting that one. Nor did I expect it when she suddenly turned towards me, determination blazing in her eyes, and said, "Stay."

"Wha-?"

"Stay," she repeated simply, getting up from her chair. Moolinda Wu clopped towards the kitchen - a cluster of wooden cabinets with a sink and a countertop stove in the corner of the room - and turned the stove on with the twist of a rusted metal knob, reaching above to open a cabinet and pull out an oriental teapot.

As water pounded on the windows behind me, I slowly sat back down and watched her numbly, having no idea where this was leading. "I will register as your parental guardian, dear child," Moolinda Wu said, turning on the sink and filling up the teapot, "and you can reside with me in the guest room until the two-month minimum guardian time is up and you are allowed to rent a dorm."

I stayed silent as she placed the teapot on the stove. I had just yelled at her that I wanted to take care of myself for once, to stop any of this from happening again, and she offers me a room? What the heck?

Pity. I had gotten enough of that, even while Dad was here, looks of "what a shame, his father's a freelancer", and "he's all alone, since no one wants to become friends with the son of someone like that", and now that he wasn't coming back that would only make things worse. Already, someone was offering me things I didn't need. Bitterly, I replied, "You don't have to do that for me, Moolinda Wu. I can't accept-"

"Hunter-kun, do not mistake this as an act of pity," Moolinda Wu interrupted, seemingly reading my thoughts word for word. "I am doing this for my own personal gain."

"Own... personal-?"

"This is something I want to do of my own will, not out of empathy for your situation. There is nothing you can accept." She paused, stirring the teapot with a metal spoon. "I won't force you, child. I won't pay for food, or clothing. You would have to figure out how to get the money yourself. The only thing I'm offering you is a place to stay." The spoon clinked against the teapot as she dropped in some sugar. "Even then, dear, you'll have to do some chores for me around the house.. perhaps, sweep up the backyard, move furniture, clean windows and so."

If it was true that she felt the same way I did before, she'd know exactly how to word her sentences to convince me. "If not pity, then why?" Another thing struck me. "And can't you do those things with magic?"

"Why?" she asked softly, not even turning around. "It is true those things you can do with magic, but it always comes out better when you do it by hand. I enjoy yard work and housekeeping of course, but now that the winter frost has faded away and the cherry blossoms are in bloom, there are more assessments to grade, and things always get too busy... There is only so much time I have to relax."

"After so many years of teaching, it has been lonely. It would be nice to have someone to do a bit of cleaning for me, to fill the empty space in this house. And..." Moolinda Wu turned on a hoof, holding a simple tray with two empty MooShu teacups and the teapot from earlier. Gingerly placing it on a nearby wooden stool, she poured the tea into both cups and handed me one, the heat of the ceramic warming me up as it rested between my hands. Steam rising into the air in a hazy wisp, I stared into the murky color fixedly as she sat down into her own chair. "...you remind me of what I was like when I was a child."

I looked up at her blankly, and Moolinda Wu gave me a soft smile. "I want to keep you around, Hunter-kun, if only for a little bit. Maybe this is something similar to giving you what I never had in my childhood... a form of self-satisfaction." She took a sip of tea. "Isn't that greedy?"

I watched the tea dregs swirl at the bottom of the cup. "...I can't."

"Why?"

Why?

It was tempting.

It wasn't pity, but it wasn't obligation. It was an honest reason - she wanted me to stay.

But somehow... it felt like the easy way out.

I wanted to rely on myself. I'd be able to figure out a way by myself, not living by leeching off of other people. Get a job or something. I needed to, otherwise...

...I don't know. There was just this gaping, empty hole in myself, an empty space where Dad had been, and I needed to do something about it. I shook my head, as if that would help clear it a little. The one thing I did know was that I wanted to be at home. Living here and having to see Moolinda Wu and make awkward small chat everyday, raking leaves and whatever - I wouldn't be able to handle it for a month. It was too much effort to put on a mask of a polite smile and a happy expression at school, let alone at home. I had only been here for an hour and it was hard for me to think.

Home, that's where I could really think. Home in Cyclops Way, where my bedroom was, big rooms with the sunlight filtering through in the morning... the rooms here just felt suffocating. Home was where my memories were, and was the closest thing to Dad anyway.

Moolinda Wu was looking at me expectantly when I jerked out of my thoughts. She was waiting for an answer. "I- I just..."

"...I can't. I'm sorry, Moolinda Wu, but... I can't do it. I'd - well, no offense, but I'd rather live by myself," I said bluntly. Standing up abruptly, I placed the teacup gingerly on the tray, tea sloshing back and forth within it as I faced her. The rain pattered dismally against the window panes behind me, the sky still stained a dark gray. "...Could you not tell anyone about this?"

Moolinda Wu didn't look the slightest bit offended, but more surprised. "...It is not my place to tell anyone outside of your knowledge, whether you are staying with me or not. That is for you to decide yourself, child," she slowly replied, placing her teacup onto the tray as well. I could tell by the way she said the words that she was sincere in her answer, although I was sure I wasn't going to do something that would earn me more pitying looks and harsh criticism than what I already had anytime soon. "However..."

"...From what I know of you, I think that you are capable of handling much by yourself, Hunter-kun," she finally said. "I only wish for you not to do anything reckless."

"I won't," I said bitterly. What could I possibly do now that Dad was gone, anyways?

"Dear child, how do I know that I will not find you again outside in the pouring rain?"

"...That won't happen again."

Moolinda Wu paused. "There are expenses-"

"I'll figure it out."

"But- I won't stop you- But would it be possible for you to stay for a week, at least-?"

"...I don't think I could stay here more than a day." It was obvious that this wasn't going anywhere. "May I go now, Moolinda Wu?"

"...Hunter-kun-" she tried.

"I'm sorry to inform you Moolinda Wu," I muttered, getting annoyed by this, "but just because you're giving me something that you wanted in your childhood doesn't mean that I want it too."

I had managed to stop myself from teleporting away out of courtesy all this time, but it was clear to me that this conversation was finished. Teleporting away to my house in a flash of electric bolts and storm clouds, I left Moolinda Wu sitting on her chair in front of her fireplace, the tea sitting cold and untouched on the wooden stool next to her since she had poured it for me.

As my form dissolved into the air, I almost didn't hear the quiet "I know" she whispered into her lap before I left for good.


End file.
